1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 438 Bread Contest? A Contest of Curiosities!
The results of the bread competition are secondary.

The important thing is that this large-scale event can bring some awareness to the restaurant and provide an opportunity to popularize rosé wine.

Ronan visited the site of last year's competition and understood the difficulty of standing out among so many strong opponents.

Baguettes are just a traditional bread, and each shop can make them unique and different.

There are countless varieties of bread with all sorts of strange and wonderful flavors.

So he wanted to bring some steamed buns that had no 'competitors' to attract a lot of attention.

He didn't believe that any other participant from Provence could produce such 'plump and white' food.

However, just as Luo Tianhai said, meat buns don't taste good when they get cold.

"So, we won't let tourists sample the food, and will we just display it?" Thor abandoned his plan to go out and continue sightseeing, and stayed behind to become Ronan's assistant.

Ronan was indifferent to the game; he only cared about the viewership. But Thor's feelings were quite different.

That's a formal food competition! I heard there are even judges!

Ronan took a small woven basket and led Thor to select ingredients:
"It's not right not to let people sample the food. Think about it, if you saw a food you'd never seen before, and the owner only let you look but not taste it, how would you feel? Wouldn't you be cursing the owner's family in your heart? We can make a few vegetarian fillings and a few desserts, and take a small amount with us tomorrow to test the waters."

Thor also picked up the basket that Ronan had prepared for him and followed him out:

"That's right, the vegetables and fruits in Provence are delicious, even better than meat."

Thor understood this deeply.

He, a carnivore, thoroughly enjoyed eating vegetables and fruits in Provence.

But then, thinking of something, Thor suddenly asked Ronan in confusion:

"But does that mean it can't be paired with rosé wine?"

During their two days of interaction, Ronan casually mentioned several times his purpose in participating in the bread competition. Thor knew that in addition to wanting to attract customers to the restaurant, he also wanted to popularize Provence's signature rosé wine among tourists.

Rosé wine pairs well with seafood, meats, and Mediterranean flavors with strong spices.

It is not suitable for light vegetables and fruits.

They had something else with their honey feast at noon today.

Thor believed that Ronan's buns would taste great, but wouldn't that also serve another purpose?

Ronan gave a somewhat hesitant "hmm":
"It's impossible to do both at the same time; the task of popularizing rosé wine can only be left to those breads."

Although he wasn't confident that he could stand out in the bread competition through 'taste', Ronan still put in a lot of effort.

Spicy crayfish bread, seafood crab meat bread, pork floss bread. In order to find the perfect pairing for rosé wine, Ronan found many suitable recipes.

In fact, many steamed buns also taste great with rosé wine.

However, due to the principle of "eating hot buns, not cold ones," they couldn't make them on-site and had to settle for making something else instead.

Thor, the little helper, made a series of thoughtful "hmm hmm" sounds, then asked Ronan in a probing tone:
"If... if we mix rosé into flour, would that also be considered a form of advertising?"

Ronan stopped, thought for a second, and then excitedly replied:
"You're a genius, Thor! How come I never thought of that before!"

After receiving the 'recipes' from the system, Ronan habitually looked up whatever he wanted to do.

He abandoned the idea of ​​cooking anything that wasn't in the recipe.

But Thor wisely reminded Ronan – who says having a recipe means you don't have to use your brain?
Just like when a problem can't be solved by one skill, you can look for solutions with other skills. You can't just stick to one path and never see the light of day.

When making bread and buns, a certain amount of pink wine can be added to the flour.

Rosé wine can completely replace red yeast rice powder or strawberry powder, creating a gentle pink hue and perhaps even adding some citrus, strawberry, and nutty flavors.

Whether steamed or baked, the alcohol evaporates, leaving only the flavor, making it suitable for children.

Ronan thought for a moment and realized that the original flavor of rosé left in the dough would pair well with custard buns and red bean buns.

Thor chuckled憨厚ly, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"I enjoy cooking."

"I can see that you're an experienced and excellent chef." Ronan gave Thor plenty of emotional support. "You've come at the perfect time. With you here, I have even more confidence in this bread competition. How about we do a few experiments together this afternoon?"

The alcohol in rosé wine can inhibit yeast activity, so Ronan will have to test it several times to see what the optimal amount to add is.

“Okay, okay.” Thor nodded vigorously.

Thor was energized by his friend's encouragement.

He took on the role of deputy very competently, working with Ronan to carefully select ingredients, make fillings, and constantly adjust the recipes.

The bread with rosé wine has an even more appealing color.

The steamed buns, infused with rosé wine, transformed from plump white to delicate pink, making them irresistible to pop into one's mouth at first glance.

The first batch of steamed buns was successfully baked, and Thor ate four in one go.

"It looks good and tastes good too!"

Thor had forgotten that his original plan for the evening was to make calorie-bursting sugar-cream pancakes. He was on a one-way trip down the road to 'health'.

"Wouldn't it taste even better if it were filled with meat?" Thor asked, his mouth bulging.

Ronan, quite pleased, popped the pink custard bun into his mouth and retied his apron.

"I'll make some more char siu bao."

Thor, holding a bun in each hand, said in a hurried manner:
"Won't the meat buns taste bad if they get cold? Won't that affect the tourists' reviews of us tomorrow?"

Ronan said with a smile:
"This isn't for tourists, it's made for you. Can you still eat it?"

Thor stuffed all the buns in his hands into his mouth, and spread his fingers wide:

"I can eat 20 more!"

"too delicious!"

"There are many kinds of meat buns. I'll make you some other ones when I get back tomorrow."

"Ronan, you'll definitely succeed tomorrow. The buns and bread you made are so delicious."

"It's us. We did all of this together. If it's successful, you'll get a share too!"

"We're sure everyone will love our booth tomorrow!!"

Mena is the most famous and busiest market in the Luberon region, bar none.

If tourists could only choose one market to visit in Provence, they would definitely choose this one.

Relying on the huge flow of people at the market and the renowned reputation of the "Golden Triangle", Mena Village hosts many lively events of all sizes every year from April to September.

The bread competition held at the end of April each year marks the official start of a lively year in Mena Village.

Today, Zoe and her friends also came to Mena Village with Ronan and the others.

Zoe came to cheer on Ronan, while Cotillard and the others came under the guise of "cheering Zoe on." However, once they arrived in Mena Village, they immediately disappeared without a trace.

These people are believers in the "good enough" principle; they'll just change their plans if they find something more fun.

During this period, parking spaces in Mena Village are extremely difficult to find. Even if you leave early, you can only park halfway up the mountain.

As soon as she got out of the car, Zoe said with deep feeling:
“I remember that it started around this time last year, the number of people at the market kept increasing. This continued until the end of September.”

Around this time last year, Zoe and Ronan would come here every week to set up a stall. Thinking back on that time feels like a dream.

Ronan followed behind her, carrying a box of bread, and said in a clearly joking tone:

“You are now a famous artist in Provence, while I still have to set up a stall every week. Ah, that’s fate.”

Despite Ronan's strong objections, Zoe stubbornly helped him hold up one corner of the suitcase:
"Stay here for a while longer and then hand over the stall to someone else, if you trust them."

Vieri carried a large pot past them, and Ronan smiled and gestured towards Zoe, saying:

"The problem is that there's no one as trustworthy as Vieri."

The women are hardworking and capable, and their cooking skills are superb, but their ability to handle emergencies is somewhat lacking.

Ronan plans to let them practice during this year's travel season before letting them go.

The stalls in Mena Village and the Lourmaran market were incredibly important to Ronan; they were two vital 'banners' that could continuously advertise the restaurant and Stella, and could not be taken lightly.

Behind Vieri, Isabelle, unconvinced, asked Ronan:
"Am I worse than Vieri?"

Ronan said with a smile:
"No, no, no, of course you are very capable, but you have other important things to do."

In the future, Luo Tianhai, Lia, and others will frequently participate in food events throughout Provence. Ronan wants to promote the clever and quick-witted Isabelle to a more important position in the restaurant, and she definitely has the ability to do so.

Behind Vieri and Isabel, Thor, carrying a load that would take two people to carry, couldn't stop smiling.

Wow, it's so lively here.

Thor didn't go anywhere last year; he stayed in Lourmaran.

This was his first time visiting the 'bustling' village of Mena.

Although Lourmaran has become much more lively this year, it still lags far behind the Golden Triangle.

Lourmarin has no large-scale events like the bread-making competition, a local Provençal event, while Mena and other parts of the Golden Triangle host a dozen or even dozens of such events every year.

These activities alone are enough to ensure they have no shortage of tourists throughout the year.

Ronan decided that after the Easter holiday, he would go to the government to talk to Blanco and Quincy.

Could Lourmarin also bid to host some large-scale events in Provence?
The bread-making competition was held in the square in front of the Mena village government building. Even before you got there, you could smell the wonderful aroma of roasted wheat flour.

Ronan's booth was located in the center of the square, and to get there you had to pass many other booths.

The staff led Ronan and the others to the exhibition area, and Thor's mouth never stopped moving the whole way.

He saw a vendor displaying his magical baguettes, which could stand upright without bending, like a magician. The cracks on the baguettes resembled parched earth, and the bread collided with the table, producing a memorable echo.

Some stall owners even transformed into white-robed popes, waving their 'scepters,' the pores in their cross-sections more uniform than those in grapevines in a vineyard.

Thor also saw rye bread shaped like meteorites, cheese bread shaped like shepherd's boots, small bread rolls brushed with oil like gold coins, and pizza bread two or three meters long with mottled patterns like a map of Provence, and so on.

He even saw a bakery that specialized in making 'big' bread.

The stall owner, whose business focused on the unusual, noticed Thor staring at the 'models' and kindly offered him a sample.

"It must taste good, right?" Ronan asked. "I came here last year, and the contestants were all very strong."

Thor licked his lips, seemingly savoring the memory:
"As soft as a pillow."

Ronan said with a smile:
"After you put your things down, go take a walk around. Don't waste the clothes you're wearing."

Thor is absolutely thrilled with the outfit Ronan gave him, and this morning when Ronan suggested he change it, he absolutely refused.

Since you're already dressed like this, don't waste it.

Moreover, Ronan knew very well that the bread competition was heaven for Thor, who loved to join in the fun.

To everyone's surprise, Thor said in a deep voice:

"But they didn't do as well as you."

He stood on tiptoe and asked impatiently:

"Where is our stall? Let's hurry up and set up the bread!"

Ronan quickly arrived at his display area.

It's called an exhibition area, but it's really just two long tables with parasols overhead bearing the sponsors' logos and slogans.

The area isn't particularly large or small; it depends on how the stall owner arranges it.

The vendors, with their wide variety of bread, will spread bread all over the long tables, creating a blissful feeling for tourists as if they have entered a sea of ​​bread.

Bread vendors with limited bread selections will display other items on their tables, such as flowers, handicrafts, jam, or butter, to enrich the visual experience.

The staff member knew that Ronan had a distinguished background and was a very famous artist from Provence, and kindly reminded him:

"You'd better make some arrangements. It's okay if you don't have anything prepared; the market sells all sorts of things."

“Okay, thank you,” Ronan said gratefully. “But we brought our own decorations.”

The staff member was with Ronan and his group the whole time and even helped them move things, so he knew that the boxes Ronan brought only contained bread.

Where are the decorations?

As he was pondering this, he saw that the big guy who had been following Ronan all along had actually taken out a loaf of bread that looked like a vase.

"How should we arrange it?" Thor asked Ronan.

Ronan shrugged:

I have no skill in flower arranging.

Thor said sadly:

"I don't know how either, so what should I do? All I know how to do is eat them."

Zoe walked up to Thor:

"I'll do it, you come and help me."

“Okay!” Thor obediently took out one 'bread flower' after another from their box.

The staff member refused to move an inch, watching helplessly as two vases made of bread appeared on the table.

"God, he really is an artist." The staff member knew he couldn't just sit back and watch anymore.

He pushed past the many tourists who were also watching and ran to a place in Mena village.

This unexpected situation must be reported to Mr. Llorente – perhaps this year's competition has produced a dark horse!
(End of this chapter)